Reuters, AMMANWarplanes yesterday pounded the last rebel enclave near the Syrian capital for a fifth straight day, as the UN pleaded for a halt to one of the fiercest air assaults of the seven-year civil war. Residents of Douma described plumes of black smoke billowing from residential areas after planes dropped bombs from high altitude. Residents and insurgents in eastern Ghouta say high-altitude jets of the kind involved in bombing yesterday morning are Russian, as Moscow’s warplanes typically fly higher than those of the Syrian air force. The opposition-held eastern Ghouta region, home to 400,000 people, has been under siege by government forces since 2013. After government gains in recent years, it is the final rebel bastion near the capital.

Source: Taipei Times February 22, 2018 15:56 UTC